Can opener



INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY V. J. O BRIE-N June 1934.

CAN OPENER Filed May 5 0 Patented June 5, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE CAN OPENER Application May 5, 1930, Serial No. 450,027

11 Claims.

My invention relates generally to can openers of the type shown,described and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 393,228,to which reference is made for claims on matter shown but not claimedherein. The principal object of the present invention is to provide acan opener having a magnetized, substantially horseshoe-shaped blade.

Another object of the invention is to provide a keeper for the horseshoemagnet, adapted normally to assume a position connecting the poles ofthe magnet.

Still another object is to provide in a can opener magnetized meansdisposed to be above and below the cut portion of the can, whereby toattract particles of metal severed from the can.

A further object of the invention is to arrange the keeper in such a waythat it will be moved from an operative position during the cuttingoperation of the article.

A still further object is to provide means for catching particles ofsevered metal that are nonmagnetizable.

Novel combinations and arrangements of parts and novel details ofconstruction will appear in the course of the following description. Itis to be understood that the drawing and the following description onlyshow an embodiment of the present invention and that changes may be madein the construction and arrangements shown, and described, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the hereuntoappended claims.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in theseveral views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

' Figure 3 is a plan view of said embodiment,

taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged, broken, side elevation of a modification of thepresent invention.

Figure 6 is a section taken on the line 66 of Figure 5.

Figure '7 is a reduced plan view of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a reduced, broken View, showing the present invention inuse.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the reference numeral 7designates a handle for the can opener. A magnetized blade for thearticle is indicated generally by the numeral 8. Rivets 9 5 fasten theblade in a recess 10 of the handle.

The blade has an integral, serrated, arcuate section 12.

The blade has a longitudinal slot 13, providing sections 14 and 15 thatprovide positive and negative poles in the magnetic circuit. It will benoted 5 that the slot 13 forms the blade into a substantially horseshoemagnet. Since a magnet in the shape of a horseshoe is generallyconsidered to have greater powers of attraction than a bar magnetcontaining an equal amount of magnetism, the 5 shape of the present canopener blade is an important feature of my invention.

The section 14 of the blade has knife edges 16 and 17 at opposite sides,and the section 15 is longitudinally grooved on the side adjacent to the7 knife edge 1'7, as shown at 18.

A pin 19 mounted on the blade carries a knurled washer 20 and a guidingdisc 21, both fastened on the pin. The knurled washer is alined with theteeth of the serrated section 12 on the blade. 7 The subject matter ofthis paragraph is more fully described in my said co-pending case.

In the form shown in Figures 5 to 8, a forkshaped keeper straddles themagnetized blade 8. The keeper comprises curved fingers 22 and 23 on abody member 24. The keeper is pivotally mounted on a pintle 25 on thedisc 21. The keeper itself is a horseshoe magnet disposed to attractparticles of metal at the top of the can that is being opened.

Finger 22 is depressed with relation to the other finger. The purpose ofsuch an arrangement is that since the finger 22 will ride on the rim ofthe can, the other finger 23 will not contact with either of thesections of the blade 8. This is due to the shape of the fingers whichcauses them to extend forward of the blade in the cutting operation. Theblade 8 also acts as a keeper for the magnetized keeper. Since the powerof a horseshoe magnet to attract is materially reduced when the keeperis in place, it is desirable to so arrange the magnets that the poles ofneither magnet will be magnetically connected during the cuttingoperation.

It will be noted that the keeper is so arranged that it will fall bygravity into a position of engagement with both sections of a magneticblade, when the device is held up in the position shown in Figure 5. Inthis position, the circuit of each magnet is closed.

In the use of the article, the point 26 of the blade is inserted nearthe edge of the end of a can in the usual manner. The edge 16 of theblade is then used to progressively cut out the end of the can.- Looseparticles of metal are brushed 110 toward the edge 17 of the blade andinto the groove 18. Particles of metal 27 are held between the edge 17and the groove 18. The groove is also advantageous in catchingnon-magnetizable particles of metal. Due to the beveled edge 17 of theblade, the tendency is to brush particles of metal into the spacebetween the blade sections and into the groove, as shown at 2'7. I

The use of the modified form is similar, except that during the canopening operatiornthe finger 22 of the keeper rides on the rim of thecan and prevents either finger of the keeper from being in engagementwith both sections of the blade 8, and prevents the blade 8 frommagnetically connecting the poles of the keeper magnet, as shown inFigure 8. Since the fingers 22 and 23 of the keeper are turned up, asshown, they arepushed away from the blade in the normal use of the canopener when the blade is inserted in the can,

the fingers 22 and 23 of the keeper are not in engagement with the blade14, for the'blade is inside the can and the fingers of the keeper restforward of the blade, on top of the can and ride along the rim thereofduring the cutting anddesire to secure by Letters and a substantiallyhorseshoe-shaped, magnetized keeper having magnetic poles, the blade andthe keeper being disposed to connect the poles of one anothermagnetically.

3. A can opener comprising ahandle and a magnetized blade ofsubstantially horseshoeshape having opposite poles, said blade beingrigidly mounted on said handle, and a keeper normally straddling theblade whereby to magnetically connect the poles.

4. A can opener comprising a handle, a magnetized blade of substantiallyhorseshoe-shape having opposite poles, a pivoted keeper normallyengaging said poles, the keeper having two fingers to respectivelyengage the rim and the top of the can in the operation of the canopener, the lastmentioned finger being depressed with relation to theother finger.

5. A can opener comprising a handle, a magnetized blade of substantiallyhorseshoe-shape having opposite poles, a pivoted keeper normallyengaging said poles, both keeper and blade being magnetized to rendersame a permanent magnet, and adapted'to attract andh'old metallicparticles.

6. In a can opener, a blade magnetized to render same a permanent magnetand having opposite poles, and a keeper normally connecting the poles,and pivotal for movement to an inoperative position in the operation ofthe can opener.

- 7. In a can opener, a blade magnetized to render same a permanentmagnet and having -opposite poles, and a keeper normally connecting thepoles, and'movable for movement to an inoperative position in theoperation of the can opener.

g 8. A can' opener comprising a substantially horseshoe-shaped cuttingblade, the blade being magnetized and having opposite magnetic poles,one of the legs of the horseshoe having its edge, that is farthest awayfrom the other leg, sharpened and providing a magnetized cutting edge.

9. A can openercomprising a handle and a substantially horseshoe-shaped,magnetized blade permanently mounted on the handle in fixed relationthereto, the mounting preventing movement of the blade in all directionsrelative to the handle, one of the legs of the horseshoe having itsedge, that is farthest away from the other leg, sharpened andpr'ovidinga magnetized cutting edge.

10. A can opener comprising a substantially horseshoe-shaped, magnetizedblade, one leg of the horseshoe being grooved on the edge facing an edgeof the other leg, the latter leg being sharpened at opposite edges, theouter one of the last-mentioned edges providing a cutting edge and theother edge facing the groove.

11. A can opener comprising a handle, a substantially horseshoe-shaped,magnetized blade having a shank on the handle, and spaced pinspermanently mounting the shank on the handle, one of the legs of thehorseshoe having itsedge, that is farthest away from the other leg,sharpened and providing a magnetized cutting edge.

VINCENT J. OBRIEI.

